Door construction



March 1, 1960 R G. JOHANNSEN ET AL DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 18, 19572 Sheets-Sheet 1 m A s ZZM m W N v R Z a ma I i 44. 7.

a my M March 1, 1960 R. G. JOHAN NSEN ET AL DOOR CONSTRUCTION 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 18, 1957 aivww Z M N m a Y F E I a J fi a? 3 FUnite 2,926,728 DOOR CONSTRUCTION Application July 18, 1957, Serial No.672,631

9 Claims. or. 160-191) This invention relates to a door for an enclosureopening in which the door is moved upwardly and inwardly of theenclosure into open position, the door being guided in its movement bycooperating roller and track arrangement.

An object of the invention is a traveling overhead door requiring aminimum of head room to provide the desired vertical clearance.

Another object of the invention is a door construction in accordancewith the preceding object in which the door is formed of articulatedpanels and supported by rollers running in stationary trackways with theuppermost rollers disposed at the bottom of the top door panel.

Another object of the invention is a door construction in accordancewith the preceding object having stationary and door elements whichcooperate to control the movement and position of the top door panel.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a door constructionhaving cooperating rollers and trackways guiding movement thereof andwhich operate with a minimum of noise.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a door constructionin accordance with the preceding object in which the trackway is of Vshape with side walls and the roller has a resilient periphery with sidewalls of molded plastic.

Another object of the invention is a door construction for an enclosureopening having the door movable upwardly and interiorly of the enclosureto open position and a pulley and cable counterbalance in which the axesof the pulley and the cable are maintained at right angles as the pointof cable and door attachment moves out of its normal alignment with thepulley.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will bespecifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for abetter understanding of the invention, to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of a door construction according tothe present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view on the lines II-- -II ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line IlI--III of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the door in open position;

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view on the line V--V of Fig. 2; t

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view on the line VI-VI of Fig. 2;

.Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view on the line VII- VII of Fig. 1';I 4 r Fig. 8 is a detailed view showing the latch'holding the door inclosed position; and

Fig. 9 is a partial perspective viewshowing a modi fied form of pulleyand cable arrangement.

The door of this invention as: specifically illustrated States PatentOice in the drawings is indicated at 1 as comprising a plurality ofduplicate panels 2, the top panel being indicated at 3 and anintermediate latch carrying panel at 4. Each of the panels 2 comprises aflat sheet 5 having L-shaped brackets 6 at the opposite ends thereofbolted theretoas at 7. The upper and lower edges of the plates 5 arebent inwardly at 8 and 9 and terminate in the arcuate portions 11 and 12sized so that the arcuate portion 11 nests within the arcuate portion 12of the adjacent panel. The top and bottom of the brackets 6 are providedwith openings aligned with the axes of the arcuate portions 11 and 12. Ashaft 13 extends through these openings and through the nested arcuateportions to lock the panels together while providing for relativerotation therebetween.

On the opposite ends of the shaft 13 are mounted rollers 14 receivedwithin trackways 15. Each trackway 15 comprises a generally V-shapedportion 16, the bottom of which is normally engaged by the rollers andside walls 17 extending therefrom serving to restrain the rollers withinthe trackway. The main body of the roller is pref erably formed of amolded plastic such as nylon and is shown at 18 in Fig. 5 as providedwith a peripheral groove into which is snapped a ring 19 formed of aresilient material such as rubber. The interior legs of the brackets 6on the panels 2 are shown in Fig. 7 as alternately overlapping, with theupper bracket of adjacent panels being interior on the left and exterioron the right.

A bracket 10 is rigidly mounted upon the door frame as by studs 20 andhas a pair of spaced flanges 21 at the top thereof on opposite sides ofa slot 22. Upon the flanges 21 is mounted a top plate 23 upon which andwithin the slot 22 is mounted a pulley 24 freely rotatable about ahorizontal shaft mounted in the arms of a bracket 25. The bracket 25 ismounted upon the top plate 23 by a headed and shouldered rivet 26providing for free rotation of the bracket 25 thereabout so that thepulley support is rotatable about a vertical axis. To counterbalance theweight of the door, there is provided a cable 27 connected to the dooradjacent to the bottom thereof as at 28 and extending therefrom over thepulley 24, under a floating pulley 29, and terminating at its other endat the bolt 31 On the top plate 23. A U-shaped bracket 32 on the shaftof the pulley 29 receives one end of a spring 33 whose other end is heldstationary by a bracket 34 mounted on the stationary door frame.

To the interior legs of brackets 6 on the uppermost panel 3 are rigidlymounted plates 35 provided with arcuate slots 36 within which arereceived stationary pins 37 mounted on the bracket 10. Pivoted on theplates 35 at 38 are arms 39 carrying at their interior ends rollers 41received within the trackways 15. The arms 39 are provided with pressedout fingers 42 serving as stops limiting the clockwise rotation of theupper panel 3 (as viewed in Fig. 2).

The means for latching the door in closed position is illustrated moreparticularly in Figs. 7 and 8 as comprising opposite spring latchesmounted upon the interior legs of the brackets 6 of the third panel fromthe bottom, numbered 4. These spring latches 43 engage with stationarycatch members 44 mounted at opposite sides of the door frame. Centrallyof the panel 4 there is mounted an operating handle 45 having a shaft 46at the inside of the door upon which is. keyed a U-shaped bracket 47. Between. the bracket 47 and the spring latches 43 are connected cables 48so that rotation of handle 45, shaft 46 and bracket 47 draws the latches43 inwardly and out of engagement with the catch members to release thedoor for openingmovement. In opening the door the handle 45 is firstrotated to release the latches and ere 3 then the door is pulledupwardly with the rollers 14 and 41 rolling freely along the trackways15.

Rollers 41 have no function in guiding the door but simply serve as asupport for the inner ends of the arms 39 so as to support the fingers42 in position to be engaged by the freely rotatable upper panel 3. Asthe door moves upwardly, the cooperation between slots 36 and pins 37causes the upper panel 6 to rotate clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 aboutits engagement with the shaft 13 at its lower edge. As the slot 36leaves the stationary pin 37 panel 3 will have been rotated sufiicientlyfrom the vertical so that it will fall by gravity into engagement withthe fingers 42.

Trackway 15 is shown in the drawings as having vertical and horizontalportions joined by a curved portion in conventional manner. However, itis particularly noted that the horizontal portion of the trackway isdisposed substantially aligned with the top of the door rather thanconsiderably above the door top as in other installations. As eachroller 14 enters the curved portion of the trackway it will causerotation of the .panel at whose upper edge it is located about the loweredge of that panel until eventually the entire door is moved upwardlyand inwardly into the position of Fig. 4. The articulated constructionof the door with each panel pivotally joined to the adjacent panel andwith rollers at each joint facilitates the smooth and easy movement ofthe door. Near the end of the opening movement of the door the point ofattachment 28 of cable 27 to the door will pass through the verticalplane through the axis of rivet 26 so that the cable thereafter willexert a turning force on the pulley 24 which then rotates about the axisof the rivet 26 into the position shown in Fig. 4 so as to maintain thecable 27 substantially normal to the axis of the pulley. 7

Closing movement of the door by pulling it downwardly in its trackwayresults in a reverse relative rotation of the articulated door panel,effects reverse rotation of the pulley 24, and in its final movementengages slot 36 with pin 37 to effect counter-rotation of the panel 3into its vertical position. In the normal rotation of the rollers 14 inthe trackway 15, the periphery of the roller is engaged in the bottom ofthe V notch. Due to the resilience and sound absorption qualities of therubber ring 19, movement of the door and rotation of the pulley withinthe trackway is accomplished with a minimum of noise. Due to the highcoefiicient of friction between the rubber periphery of the roller andthe metal trackway, the roller may ride up theinclined side of the Vuntil the main body portion 18 of the roller engages one of the sidewalls 17 of the trackway. This engagement tends to kick the roller backinto a central position and in any event affords little resistance tofree rotation of the roller since the molded nylon of the roller engagesthe metal side walls of the trackway with little friction.

Fig. 9 shows a modified arrangement for top pulley and cablecooperation. Here the pulley bracket is rigidly connected with the topplate 23 so as to be stationary at all times. Below the pulley ismounted a spool 51 mounted on the bracket 10. In this modification thepoint of cable attachment 23 is located so that as it moves verticallyupon opening movement of the door, the cable 27 cooperates directly withthe upper .pulley and out of contact with spool 51. As the bottom rolleron the door moves inwardly along the curved portion of the trackway, thecable 27 is engaged with the spool 51 to maintain the portion of thecable entering the pulley normal with respect to the pulley axis. Thebottom of the door eventually assumes the positionIshown in Fig. 9 inwhich theportion of the cable leaving thedoor is disposed generally atrightangles to the portion ofthe cable entering the pulley. '7 i 'l i iWhile certain preferred embodiments of this invention have beenspecifieallydis cldsed, it' i s understoodthat'the invention is notlimited thereto as many variations will be readily apparent .to thoseskilled in the art, and the invention is to be given its broadestpossible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An overhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted on saidpanels at their points of articulation, trackways having verticalportions disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of the door opening andhorizontal portions extending inwardly therefrom with curved portionsjoining the vertical and horizontal portions, said rollers engaging said.trackways to support the door during vertical and'horizontal movement,a plate extending inwardly on the top door panel having an arcuate slo'tengaging a stationary pin to effect inward rotation of the top panelabout its bottom edge upon initial upward movement of the door, saidslot disengaging said pin to provide for free rotation of said top panelthereafter, and means for limiting said top panel to a finalsubstantially horizontal interior position as the remainder of thepanels move rearwardly, said slot receiving said pin in the finalclosing movement of the door and positively swinging said top panel toclosed position.

2. An overhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted o'n saidpanels at their points of articulation, traclcways having verticalportions disposed adisoent to the opposite sides of the door opening andhorizontal portions extending inwardly therefrom with curved portio'nsjoining the vertical and horizontal portions,said rollers engaging saidtrackways to support the door during vertical and horizontal movement,and interengaging slot and pin elements, one of said elements beinglocated on the top door panel and the other of said elements beingstatio'narily mounted, said elements cooperating to effect rotation ofsaid top panel about its bottom edge during initial opening movement andfinal closing movement of the door, said rotation being toward thehorizontal in door opening and toward the vertical in door closing.

3. An overhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted on saidpanels at their points of articulation, trackways having verticalportions disposed adjacent to the oppo'site sides of the door openingand horizontal portions'extending inwardly therefrom with curvedportions joining the vertical and horizontal portions, said rollersengaging said trackways to support the door during vertical andhorizontal movement, interengaging slot and pin elements, one of saidelements being located on the top door panel and the other of saidelements being stationarily mounted, said elements cooperating to effectrotation of said top panel about its bottom edge during initial openingmovement and final closing movement of the door, said rotation beingtoward the horizontal in door opening and toward the vertical in doorclosing, said elements being disengaged after initial door opening andprior to final door closing to provide for free relative rotation ofsaid top panel, and means for limiting the free rotation of said toppanel to a final substantially horizontal position.

4. Anoverhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable'at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted .on saidpanels at their points of articulation, trackways having verticalportions disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of the door opening andhorizontal portions extending inwardly therefrom with curved portionsjoining the vertical and horizontal portions, said rollers engaging saidtrackways to support the door duringvertical and horizontal movement,interengaging slot and pin elements, one of said elements being locatedon the top door panel and the other of said elements being atieaatlmannere new cooperating to effect rotation of said top panel about itsbottom edge during initial opening movement and final closing movementof the door, said rotation being toward the horizontal in door openingand toward the vertical in door closing, said elements being disengagedafter initial door opening and prior to final door closing to providefor free relative rotation of said top panel, an arm pivotally mountedon said top panel, a roller on the free end of said arm supported withinsaid trackway and movable therealong with door movement, and a stop onsaid arm engageable by said top panel to limit the free rotationthereof.

5. An overhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted on saidpanels at their points of articulation, trackways having verticalportions disposed adjacent to the opposite sides of the door opening andhorizontal portions extending inwardly therefrom with curved portionsjoining the vertical and horizontal portions, said rollers engaging saidtrackways to support the door during vertical and horizontal movement, aplate extending inwardly on the top door panel having an arcuate slotengaging a stationary pin to efiect inward rotation of the top panelabout its bottom edge upon initial upward movement of the door, saidslot disengaging said pin to provide for free rotation of said top panelthereafter, means for limiting said top panel to a final substantiallyhorizontal interior position, a cable connected to said door adjacent tothe bottom thereof, a pulley mounted adjacent to the top of said door,said cable passing over said pulley and being provided with biasingmeans counter-balancing the weight of the door, said pulley rotatingabout a horizontal axis normally disposed at right angles to the closeddoor position, and a support for said pulley mounted for free rotationabout a vertical axis so that in the final opening movement of the dooras the point of cable attachmentpasses beyond the plane of the pulleythe pulley will rotate to maintain its axis of rotation substantiallynormal to the cable.

6. An overhead door comprising a closure portion disposed in verticalposition to close the door opening and in substantially horizontalposition to uncover the door opening, trackways disposed at oppositesides of the door opening and having horizontal and vertical portionsand curved portions joining them, rollers mounted on said closureportion and received in said trackways to support and guide the closureportion in its movement between closed and open positions, a cableconnected to said closure portion adjacent to the bottom thereof, apulley mounted adjacent to the top of the door, said cable passing oversaid pulley and engaging biasing means to counterbalance the weight ofthe door, said pulley normally rotating about a horizontal axissubstantially normal to the plane of the door, and a support for saidpulley freely rotatable about a vertical axis whereby final openingmovement of the door and movement of the point of cable attachment awayfrom the plane of the pulley is accompanied by rotation of the pulleysupport about the vertical axis to maintain the axis of rotation of thepulley substantially normal to the cable.

7. An overhead door comprising a closure portion disposed in verticalposition to close the door opening and in substantially horizontalposition to uncover the door opening, trackways disposed at oppositesides of the door opening and having horizontal and vertical portionsand curved portions joining them, rollers mounted on said closureportion and received in said trackways to support and guide the closureportion in its movement between closed and open positions, a cableattached to said closure portion adjacent to the bottom thereof, apulley mounted adjacent to the top of the door and having a horizontalaxis of rotation disposed substantially normal 7 to the plane of thedoor, said cable passing over said pulley and engaging means applying abias thereto to counterbalance the weight of the door, and a spoolmounted beneath said pulley and engaged by the cable in the finalopening movement of the door so as to maintain the portion of the cableengaging the pulley substantially vertical while the portion engagingthe door is disposed at a substantial angle thereto.

8. An overhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted on saidpanels at their points of articulation and having their axes alignedwith the axes of relative rotation of the panels, trackways: havingvertical portions disposed at either side of the door opening andhorizontal portions extending therefrom with curved portions joiningsaid vertical and horizontal portions, the lower and vertical end of thecurved portion being located substantially adjacent to the bottom edgeof the top door panel, a plate having an arcuate slot therein andforming a first element, and a pin engageable within said slot andforming a second element, one of said elements being mounted on said topdoor panel and the other of said elements being stationarily mounted,said pin engaging in said slot during initial door opening movement andfinal door closing movement to effect relative rotation of said toppanel out of and. into its vertical closing position.

9. An overhead door comprising a plurality of articulated panelsrelatively rotatable at their adjacent edges, rollers mounted on saidpanels at their points of articulation and having their axes alignedwith the axes of relative rotation of the panels, trackways havingvertical portions disposed at either side of the door opening andhorizontal portions extending therefrom with curved portions joiningsaid vertical and horizontal portions, the lower and vertical end of thecurved portion being located substantially adjacent to the bottom edgeof the top door panel, a plate having an arcuate slot therein andforming a first element, a pin engageable within said slot and forming asecond element, one of said elements being mounted on said top doorpanel and the other of said elements being stationarily mounted, saidpin engaging in said slot during initial door opening movement and finaldoor closing movement to efiect relative rotation of said top panel outof and into its vertical closing position, said pin and slot beingdisengaged except during said initial door opening and final doorclosing movement so as to provide for free relative rotation of said toppanel, an arm pivotally mounted on said top panel and having a roller atits free end supported within and movable along said trackway, and astop on said arm engaged by said top panel to limit the final openposition of said top panel to substantially the horizontal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,888,162 Eklund Nov. 15, 1932. 2,020,544 Gill et a1. Nov. 12, 19352,294,361 Blodgett Sept. 1, 1942 2,655,684 Robinson Oct. 20, 19532,805,107 De Warker et a1. Sept. 3, 1957

